The Cost of a Quality Instrument

Several, several, several years ago, my son saved up his money and bought a $400 keyboard/synthesizer to connect to his computer. Although he bought it new, it had some problems. It was under warrantee - the trick was, to get it repaired for free, we had to take it to a certified Yamaha repairman.

The closest repairman was in Las Vegas, a two hour drive away. When I went to pick it up, the repairman indicated it was fixed, but then threw some shade toward the instrument. He said, "the keyboard I use costs $4,000." I smiled and nodded, knowing I had just come from practicing a pipe organ in Vegas that probably cost $40,000.

I've been pondering the cost of one particular instrument this week. I was devastated by the news of the fire at Notre Dame in Paris. The destruction of the "forest" in the ceiling made of 12th century timbers is a loss to humanity. The timbers used for the ceiling are thought to be from 300 year old trees. Because of pollution and other global problems, trees don't grow as they once did - timber is not as dense.

In addition, the Cavaille-Coll organ installed in the cathedral is considered one of the premier organs in the world. While other historic and sacred artifacts were rescued from the burning building using a human chain, a pipe organ is not an instrument that can be easily moved.

The good news is that early reports indicate that the organ was not damaged by the fire or the water used to fight the fire. The bad news is that it has been covered in dust. Pipe organs are highly susceptible to dust. It will take an amazing amount of effort to restore this organ. The effort will be made. This instrument is priceless because of its history, its craftsmanship, and the generations of effort that have gone in to its upkeep and performance.

That of course has me reflecting on my own effort. I have not been practicing as I should. When I take lessons and have someone to whom I am accountable, I can easily practice two to three hours a day. When I have no one to report back to, I am lucky to get two to three hours per week. So I am disappointed that I don't play as well as I did, but I still love it so!

I love hearing a congregation sing boldly and with conviction. I love playing prelude and helping to invite the spirit into a meeting. At this point in my life, I have a pretty good collection of prelude to choose from. But just like looking into a closet full of clothes and saying, "I have nothing to wear," i often want to play a hymn for which I cannot find an appropriate arrangement. I am not the best arranger, but when I have an idea of what I'd like to do, I am sometimes stubborn enough to do it.

I want to play "Gethsemane, Jesus Loves Me" as prelude for Easter. It is one of my youngest boy's favorite songs. I was surprised that I couldn't find an organ arrangement for purchase, so I made a simple arrangement for myself. I'm super excited to sneak this into my prelude on Easter Sunday. And I thought I would share it with anyone else who might like to give it a go.

Gethsemane.pdf by on Scribd

The other Easter prelude I will use this year will come from Laurel Hunt Pederson's Easter collection (http://laurelhuntpedersen.com/organ-music/). I've mentioned her arrangements before. I particularly like her Easter Selection. I had thought of some Passion arrangements by William Herd (I played Herd for Christmas) but decided it would be a little heavier than what I would like.

A few months back, I also adapted a barbershop quartet version of Because I Have Been Given Much, to the organ. The harmonies are beautiful. I am going to share that in this post as well. Happy Easter everyone. Let's take this time to sing praises to our God, with our own voices or that of a great big organ!

Because I have been given m... by on Scribd